Vehicle body



Aug. 21, 1945. T, ULRICH 2,383,029

. VEHICLE BODY Fil ed Oct. 16, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR: Theodore Ulrich- BY zww- ATTORNEYS.

I VEHICLE BODY Filed Oct. 16, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 i9 24 muunmllllm im 89) {I .INVENTbR 47 3g Theodore Ulrich.

BY Xrfij M1 A TTORNEY T. ULRICH 2,383,029

Aug. 21, 1945. T. ULRICH VEHICLE BODY Filed Oct. 16, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR TheodoreUlrich.

T. ULRICH v VEHICLE BODY Aug. 21, 1945.

Filed Oct. 16, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .[NVENTOR ATTORNEY F IG. 7

Theodore, Ulrich.

Patented Aug. 21, 1945 Theodore Ulrich, Detroit, Mich.,

assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 16, 1939, Serial No. 299,595

2 Claims.

. The invention relates to a vehiclebody and more particularly to an automobile body. The invention is preferably applicable to a type of automobile bodies which combines the functions of the body and the previously usual chassis thereby dispensing with a separate chassis.

It is an object of the invention to improve the structure of vehicle bodies in regard to the strength, the ease of manufacture and the as,-

semblage of the different parts.

It is particularly among the objects ofthe invention to improve the end wall construction which is disclosed in my earlier application Serial No. 191,896 filed on February 19, 1938, under the Certain features disclosed but not claimed in this application form the subject matter of the inventor's application Serial Number 476,610, for

Sill structure, especially for automobiles, filed parent from the embodiment which is shown in the attached drawings and from description of such embodiment.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automobile body the following built in accordance with the invention; m;

Fig. 2 is a perspective three-quarter front view of the same body at a somewhat larger scale;

Fig. 3 is another three-quarter front view of the body, yet seen from the opposite side as Fig. 2, certain parts being broken away, and on a still.

larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the front end of the body at a still larger scale along the longitudinal vertical middle plane of the body;

Fig.5 is a perspective front elevation of the body with certain parts being broken away and at about the scale of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 6 is a section through the" one side wall and the adjacent parts of the body along line 6-6 yet at a larger scale than Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section through a portion of the side wall along the line 'l-'| of Fig. 4 at about the same scale as Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a further cross section through a portion of the side wall and the adjacent part of the mud guard along line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

The body which is shown in the drawings, is provided .on either. side with a front door I 5, a rear door I E, a forward side panel portion "and a rear side panel portion l8. Between the side 5 (Cl. 296-28) I panels and the doors, the panel l9 which forms the top of the cowl, the roof panel 20 and the door 2| for a luggage compartment are arranged.

The body is furthermore provided with the usual windshield opening 23, the door window openings 24, 25 and therear quarter side windows 26.. The side panel portions l1 and I8 are interconnected on either side below'the doors by side panel portions 28 which latter form the thresholds. The lower longitudinal side margins of the body panels are reinforced in'a manner now to be described. The threshold portions of the side panels are in general of inwardly and downwardly facing angle section. The upper arm title End wall construction for vehicle bodies, 15

now Patent No. 2,289,395, issued July 14, 1942.

29 of this angle section rail is fastened to the upper arm 30 of an inner rail 3| which is Z-shaped in cross section. The web of thi 2 sectional rail is arranged vertically and spaced from the vertical portion of the panel 28. The lower margin of-the panel 28 isprovided with an outwardly directed flange 32 which is fastened, such as by spot welding, to the lower outwardly directed arm 33 of the rail 3|. The panel portion 28 and the rail 3| extend forwardly to about the region of the front door post 34 which is visible in Figs. 3

and 4. This formation ofthe panel 28 and the rail 3l-may extend rearwardly to the rear margin of the rear door and the reinforcement of the lower side margins of the body in the rear of the rear door opening may be accomplished in a similar manner as shown and as described in the following for the front end of the car. This reinforcement of the rear end is not shown and described because it does not form a feature of the invention.

An outwardly facing channel member 35 is provided along each lower side margin of the body.v This member has an upper wall 36 which ends in an upwardly directed flange 31, and a lower substantially horizontal wall 38. This member 35 extends. for a certain distance rearwardly beyond the front door posts 34 Where it is fastened by its flanged! to the web of the rail 3| and by its lower wall v38 to the lower wall 33 of the same rail, the height of the member diminishing from about the front posts 34 toward its rear end. In'the region from about the front door posts 34 to the rear end of the member 35, the members v28', 3| and 35 form together a double box sectional sill structure of great ,strength. In front of the postsI3 4, the rail 35 is fastened by its flange 31 to the lower portion 39 of the side wall panel I! which forms simultaneously the inner wall of the front wheel housing, whereas the lower wall 38 of the-rail is fastened to a'marglnal flange 40 which is bent ofi from the same wheel housing wall 39. Between its upper portion,

39' and its wheel housing portion 39, the panel I! is provided in its forward region with a more or less transversely extending and forwardly and downwardly curved portion 4|. The lower end of this portion 4| closes the front end of the rail 35, the flange of which is extended for this-purpose across the Eront edge of the wall 38 anti along the front edge of the vertical wall of the rail 35 as visible from Figs. 3 and 4. In regions which are especially stressed, box sectional Sills formed by the rail 35 and t e wall portion 39 are interiorly miuforneii by brackets 42 and 43. The bracket 42 is in :the form of an inwardly opening channel the wslls-ol which are fastened as by spot weldingto the walls 36 and 38 respectively of the rail 35. Certain portions of this bracket such as the projection '54 and a supplemental bracket 45 extend in the as-' senibled state of the body through openings in "the wall -39 so as to allow -the direct fastening J thereto of certain members of the automobile A box sectional cross mernber 49 connects the 'ionward ends of the rails 55. This-cross member consists of :a downwardly opening channel member '50 which is provided with lateral flanges ii :and of a plate 52 which is 'rasterwd-as by spot welding to said flanges-i. 'The dipper and the lower wall of this cross member overlap and are connected to the upperand lower walls 36 and 38 respectively of the rai135 am the sidewalls of the cross member-49am provided with iazlseral flanges :53 at their ends which are 'iiastened to thewerti- ,cal walls of the rails 85. This cnoss member-may serve for the support of the front end of the mo- :tor unit (not shown) filer the attachment of certain parts of :the frontwmelzsuspension which arelikewise not shown.

A second box sectional member 54 interconnects the rails 35 near their rears-mi. Thiscross member consistysimilarito :the crosszmembel #9 of a downwardly opening channel member .55 the side walls of "which are provided along their 1on- ;gitudinally extending edges with lateral flanges 58 and the open side of which is closed by a plate 51 which is fastened to the flanges 56. This member :54 differs from the member =49 however therein-that the bottom gate 51 is oounparntiitely hat in the centralregion onlyof the body whereosit has-the form of-amupwardly-opening channellin the endregionsns visible firom Figs. 3 and 5. These channel shapedseotionsnf themhte iii are provided with laterally extending flanges 58 which serve for the attaclnnent to the flanges 56 =0f the upper member 55/ By this'formation the height of the vcross member 54 is inoneasedat its ends. Near the one endof the member 54 a lion gitudinally extending opening 59 is formed which may serve for the -accommodation-of theexhaust pipe (not shown) This opening 59 is attained 'bydepressions in the .side-wallsiandin flieeflanges 56 and, 58 respectively of the upper and. lower members 55 and 51.. The ends-of the-cross memher are iastenedsimilarly :to the member-49 by flanges 69 and by vextensions'of the upperlan -.lower -wall which overlap tbeacorresponding walls of the rails 35. The cross member 54 serves as support for the rear end of the motor unit and carries for this purpose brackets 6|. Further brackets'such as 62 and 63 may be fastened to the rails 35 and the cross member 54 respectively for additionally supporting the motor unit or certain parts thereof, or the 'steering gear, or parts of the front wheelsuspension.

The panel which formsiihe upper wall 'I 9 of the cowl is provided with a forwardly and downward- 1y extending portion 64 which forms the upper section of the shroud structure. This shroud section 54 is downwardly and forwardly inclined and ;continued by awall member 65 the upper margin of which :is listened to the lower margin of the section 4 imamanner as indicated in Fig. 4.

.The-wall 65 may consist of two halves which overlap and are connected to each other near the central longitudinal vertical plane of the body as likewise indicated in Fig, 4. The wall 65 is in the Iorm of a downwardly 'opening horse shoe. The lower ends 'of this horseshoe are'fastened by flanges and brackets to the-side rails 35. The marrgin'of this wall 55 which surrounds thelopening of the horse shoe is reinforced by a downwardly and rearwardly directedflange 6d, a beading 65 and a laterally flanged channel member in which is welded to the rear side of the wall 65 so as to dorm 19. box sectional rail together with the beading 68. .iiishrorud panel M proper .is fastoned as by spot weldiirgalong its upper :bent 011 margin 10" to the underside of the wall 165. This shroud panel HI merges into the horinontal floor-panel H. .An-opening l! in the panel a '18 and H gives access. to the gear box '(not shown) whidh will be located in the completely 'Bssembled car therebeneath. This opening is closed by: ,rernovahle cover 1-3.

:Flanges l4 along the-side edges of the wall 65 panel 10 serve as ..a rigid connection of these panels to the side wall panels I! and the wheel housing section 38 thereof. So as to reinforce the strength and'rigidity of the panel I! in the wheel housing region 39 and so as to facilitate the formation and the attachment of the wall 65 and the panel 19, the wheel housing P rtions 39 are provided with outwardly extendinglelongated projections 16 and H which form substantially plane and straight attachmentsurfaces-for the -oorrespondingly straightside edges and flanges 14 and 15 of the members 65 and 1.0 respectively- Outwardly facing curved channel members iii are fastened by laterally extending side flanges 7:9 to the innersurface of the side wall panel 11 and by tongues 80 which are bent off rfrom their ends to the wall and the forward ends of the rail -.35 respectively. The wheel housing portion 39 of the .panel 11 is provided with a. third :outwardlyextending-Dmjection M for the purpose of reinforcement and .of .forming, at least along its longitudinal vmargins a plane and straight attachment surface for the rail .18. {To increase the transverse area of the box sectional sill which is 65 formed by the rail 18 and the wallportion 39, the middle ,portion of the projection hi my form a beading as clearly visible inFigs. 2 and 6.

An inwardly opening U sectional rail '82 is fastened to the inner surface-of the panel H on either side bathe body. f-Ihisraibcarries a number of nuts 95 or other rthreaded .portions which serve for the'dastening rat the mudguard 84 by means -01 bolts :95. .Reiniim chig-imembers 86 am arranged :botween the supper ead of the s N811 65 mm! thae front door posts 34 so as to and flanges '15 along the sidezsdgesof the dash shown) cover members.

transmit the stresses from said wall into said door posts. The wheel housing portions 39 are provided in the front and in the rear of the wall 65 with comparatively large openings 8] and 88 through which access can be had to the motor and which can be closed by removable (not In the rear of the wall 65 the nuts or the like 83 for fastening the mud guard 84 'by means of bolt 85 are'fastened separately to the panel IT. The upper margin of the side panel I! is flanged inwardly vand downwardly at 89 so as to reinforce this edge andto form a ledge for supporting the removable (not shown) motor hood. The front edges of the panel I! are similarly provided with inwardly and rearwardly directed flanges 9|] which serve for the attachment of a (not shown) transverse panel which may comprise the radiator grille. The wall 65 is provided with some comparatively large openings 9| which serve for weight reduction and for giving access to certain parts of the equipment which may be arranged between this wall and the dash panel 10. The different parts of the vehicle body which is shown in the drawings are intended to be stamped from sheet steel as it is now the general practice in the industry. The invention is however, not restricted to this kind of material but its features may also be applicable to other types of material or to bodies which are composed partly of sheet metal stampings and partly of members made from other material. It will be found moreover that the invention is liable to many modifications which are all intended to be covered by the language used in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a vehicle body, a wheel housing wall curved in cross section, a plurality of portions raised outwardly above the curvature of said wall and providing substantially flat surfaces, said raised portions meeting in one region from which they extend in different directions in a star like manner, a dash board having its side margin fastened to one of said raised portions, a reinforcing transverse member extending from the upper portion of said dash board downwardly and toward the end of the body and fastened by its side margin to a second raised portion, and a reinforcing rail extending in the general direction of the wheel housing wall and fastened to a third of said raised portions.

2. In a vehicle body, a wheel housing wall curved in cross-section, a plurality of portions raised above the curvature of said wall and providing substantially plane surfaces, said raised portions extending in difl'erent directions across said curvature, the side margins of a corresponding number of reinforcing structures having their correspondingly shaped margins fastened to said raised portions.

THEODORE ULRICH. 

